The inaugural Higher Conference in June proved to be a time of holiness for this group of young adults.
Contributed By Chng Shi Jie
The young adults were renewed in their purpose for God. CN PHOTO: Shaun Neo
On a trip to Malaysia with his cell group one day, Wayne Choong, a cell group leader in City Harvest Church overseeing eight cell groups, felt God speak to him and impress upon him the need to uplift young Christian adults into a holier and purpose-driven life.
Choong mooted the idea for a young adults conference, and just months later, the Higher movement was born. Over 100 participants from the zones of Audrey Ng, a pastor, and Catherine Lee, a zone supervisor, embarked on a 30-day sabbatical, during which they fasted from certain activities in their lives, and used the time to seek God and to read the book of Matthew, one chapter a day. The end of this sabbatical culminated in the Highter Conference in mid-June at Pulai Springs Resort in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
The first session at the conference was helmed by CHC’s senior pastor, Kong Hee. He delivered a short but powerful message about the Holy Spirit and His faithfulness, recounting events that happened to him in the past year along the way. All who were present were strengthened in their faith because God showed Himself faithful to their senior pastor.
Next was a time of bonding, where teamwork was fostered using a series of cooperative games, such as river crossing and untangling a human knot.
Day One ended on a high as the leaders surprised everybody by treating them to a feast of fruits, including durians, rambutans and watermelons.
The second day kicked off with a morning run, after which was a sharing session. Gathered into their teams, everyone took turns to reveal what God had spoken to them from the Book of Matthew during the sabbatical.
Ng took to the stage to give a message on the need to build a personal altar to God, that in times when even fellow Christians and leaders fall away from God, it is important that our own relationship with Him remains strong. Ng began to move in the gifts of the Spirit and prophesied over the lives of many. The session ended the way it started, everyone on their knees in surrender to God, who had touched many in a great way.
Worship leader Mildred Zee, who had to work 14 days in a row in order to attend the conference, said “[This conference] is like an invigorating breath of fresh air, no words can describe how I feel.”
On the third and final day, Choong led the conference with a message. He shared that the three most important things to young adults today are community, justice, and authenticity. He challenged the young adults present to fashion the world the way they wanted it, not how the world sees it. He reminded each one present that who he or she is, is a total alignment of head, heart and hand: what one thinks, feels and does.
He then gave an altar call for those who aspired to be cell group leaders just so they could serve God in a greater capacity, and nearly the entire room surged forward, as all felt a strong call upon their lives to serve.
Derrick Chen, an undergraduate who responded to the altar call, echoed the thoughts of many when he said, “This is truly the turning point of our lives.”
The young adults returned home from the Higher Conference encouraged in their hearts and emboldened in their actions to live out their calling for Jesus; that above desiring change, they want to be that change by living life on higher ground.
